Xbox One update to deliver external storage, real player names

Microsoft’s June update for the Xbox One is a big one. It’ll include two of the most requested features –support for external storage and the use of real names to identify friends – according to a recent blog post on the matter.

With the update, the Xbox One will be able to support up to two external hard drives at once. The drives must be 256GB or larger and based on the wording used, they will need to support USB 3.0 connectivity. Microsoft says it’s a great way to increase storage capacity at home and take your content with you on the go.

Users will need to either sign into Xbox Live or insert a game disc to verify game ownership, however.

The other major new feature will help users keep tabs on their friends by displaying their real names alongside their gamer tags. If you have a large group of people in your friends list, it can be hard to keep track of who is who – especially if someone changes their gamer tag. This new feature will help with that.

Fortunately, it sounds like Microsoft didn’t go overboard with it and is giving full control to the end user. For example, you’ll be able to share with all of your friends, a subset of your choosing, friends of friends or none at all. The choice is yours.